When sitting down to compose a bucket list, most people include traveling to incredible places on it too. And we’re not necessarily talking about booking a vacation to Paris or New York, even though they are, indeed, incredible places. We’re talking about undiscovered beauties or destinations that will surely make you feel like you can die without regrets. That may have sounded a bit gloomy, but it wasn’t, we promise. We’re just trying to give you some of the most beautiful places on earth that you must absolutely visit.

#1 Bora Bora

We’ll start off with a section that refers to tropical places, beaches, and generally warm destinations. As far as sandy shores and crystalline water go, Bora Bora is definitely one of the most stunning beach vacation spots in the world. Its true selling point is the fact that the island fosters a deformed volcano which evolved into flora and reefs that give the water its glass-clear appearance.

#2 Victoria Falls

If you’re planning to head to the Niagara Falls anytime soon, we recommend postponing this trip and swapping it for Victoria Falls, a location stranded on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. It’s the largest waterfall in the world, as proven by the statistic measurements of the overall area, and among the most beautiful places on our planet.

#3 The Rainbow Mountains

You can absolutely take the name literally. Zhangye Danxia, China can be proud of the incredible landscape it provides. Its mountains are the victims of years of weathering and erosion that created some sort of blending reactions between minerals and sandstones. As a result, the mountains are now painted in swirls of multiple bright colors.

#4 Neuschwanstein

Located in southern Germany, this beautiful castle opens up our section that refers to the multitude of gorgeous frozen destinations. Built in the 19th century, this fairy-tale-like castle was the inspiration for Disney’s iconic trademark castle. You can always visit Neuschwanstein over the Disney World one, mostly because people actually used to live in it. Definitely worthy of being deemed as one of the top beautiful places.

#5 Antarctica

Yes, just all of Antarctica. Pretty much the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, this snowy waste is definitely not for those who cannot handle their icy beautiful places. The huge icebergs and glacial sights make for a unique experience, which is only topped by the many penguins you may encounter.

#6 The Temples of Bangan

For our next phase, we take a look at the beautiful places that manage to make our jaws drop through the sheer beauty of their architectural mastery. Located in Burma, Myanmar on the grounds of the ancient capital of the civilization, the temples are reminiscent of the Buddhist populations that used to inhabit them.

#7 Petra

Petra is an ancient city in Jordan that is guaranteed to make everyone stop questioning how the Great Pyramids were built to, instead, start asking who came up with the idea to carve a city in the side of a rock. Dating back to centuries before the first Christian year, Petra was, actually, unknown to the rest of the world until the 19th century. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the beautiful places on this list.

#8 Machu Picchu

We can’t talk about architectural masterpieces and beautiful places without referring to Machu Picchu, at least, once. This incredible site makes us remember the greatness of the Inca people, who inhabited the ancient city for no more than a hundred years before the Spanish Conquest shunned them away.

#9 Venice

The only city per se on this list, there’s no place on Earth quite like a Venice. The very concept of a city surrounded by waters which can only be navigated through boats sailing on its canals is fascinating enough. As a bonus, Venice is also a historical masterpiece and it benefits from a unique vibe that can’t be experienced anywhere else.

#10 The Taj Mahal

Considered to be a masterpiece of Muslim art in India, the Taj Mahal is a bearer of many stories and a lot of historical significance in addition to an incredible and easily recognizable design. It’s absolutely worth it to pay it a visit and allow yourself to be awed by the architectural prowess of this fascinating land.

It’s the end of the world as we know it, my friends, and it seems Twitter is to blame. It’s true: the social networking site, which has attained over 500 million users since its inception in March 2006, is bringing about the apocalypse, and we’ve got the evidence to prove it.

Below is an infographic by Tim Cooley, winner of PosterBrain’s ‘Design the Future’ Infographic Contest. Entitled #Blame Twitter, it brings to light hard-hitting facts about Twitter’s troubling toll on the environment and our health. Did you know, for example, that for every 18,000 tweets sent out by Twitter users 1 hectare of forest is lost? That means, as the infographic bravely points out, nearly 13,000 hectares of forest is lost every single day.

This, I’m sure you’ll agree, is an appalling, nay harrowing figure. And it’s only one of the many ugly facts presented by Mr. Cooley, whose ultimate aim is to bring the horrendous hazards of Twitter to public knowledge. Hopefully, people will listen this time, and finally see the popular internet site for the abhorrent, world-endangering tool that it unquestionably is. If not, our end may come much sooner than anticipated.

Note: #Blame Twitter is of course a parody infographic. “All claims in this infographic are obviously false in nature and are solely intended for the comedic entertainment of readers,” says Cooley. “We <3 Twitter.” [Read more…]

If, like my shut-in/hermitised self, you have never ventured anywhere near the Amazon or Rio Negro Rivers of north-west Brazil, but have always wished to do so, fret not: the internet has provided the next best thing. Thanks to those wonderful people over at Google Street View, you can now trek your way through the tropical trees of the Amazon rainforest, wander down the paths of the village of Tumbira, visit the other local communities of the Rio Negro Reserve, and, even more amazingly, take a boat trip down the Rio Negro River, all from the spacious comfort of your very own living room – no having to deal with the scorching heat or those pesky piranhas! [Read more…]

Landscape photos are wondrous by their very nature, and landscape photography is an art form practiced by professional and amateur photographers alike. The folks at OneBigPhoto.com, a site where you can see new big hq photos everyday, created this list of 20 amazing photos taken around the world. Enjoy!

Garrison Keillor famously said, ‘Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.’

Point we’re trying to make – we all love food. And what’s the one thing we love more than food? Bizarre lists! Good for you, this one combines both the passions in full measure. So just sit back and enjoy this fun filled but rather strange list of the strangest food festivals that happen all around the world!

Noche de Rábanos

Night of the Radishes

Where: Oaxaca, Mexico

When: December 23-24 annually

This had got to be one strange food festival where eating is…wait for it…discouraged! The festival originated in the 16th century when the Spanish Monks brought this edible root to the new colonies.

To gather attention in the food markets, sellers would carve out some radishes into eye-catching sculptures. This tradition however continued throughout the centuries and became an official festival in 1987.

Radishes that are as long as two feet and weighing upwards of ten pounds are carved into intricate religious or sometimes cultural scenes. The artisans can compete in three different categories for cash prizes!

Annual Testicle Festival

Where: Clinton, Montana, USA

When: July 29-August 2, 2009

Many imitators exist but this original ball fest is the real deal. Known mostly by its much classier name – The Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival, this whole event is dedicated to serving deep fried bull-testicles.

You can have your choice of plain deep-fried, beer battered, marinated, and as well as some newly concocted delicacies. For those who have a tough time making choices, $5 can get you a sampler plates of testicles.

Those who are on a low-testicle diet can have fun here as well! One of the major highlights of the festival is the ‘Bullshit Bingo’ which has a grand prize of $100 for the lucky person who can rightly predict where a cow will do its… well, doodie!

World Pea shooting Championship

Where: Witcham, Cambridgeshire, UK

When: July 11, 2009

Well, this one is much loosely termed as a ‘Festival’ because food here isn’t celebrated; however, it’s more like a block party that grew out of a simple target competition!

In 1971, the local Head Master Mr. Tyson held the first pea shooting competition as a way to raise funds for the upkeep of the village hall. The entrance fee to the fest is only a meager but there is something about it to stay warned about the competition takes this extreme sport (chuckle) seriously and you might need hi-tech gear (like the laser guided pea shooter) to stand a chance with the season pea shooter veterans!

Roadkill Cook-off of the Autumn Harvest Festival

Where: Marlington, West Virginia, USA

When: September 26, 2009

Turn down the panic please! Not even one of the entries in this harvest festival competition has tire marks. What this competition actually utilizes is wild game such as raccoon, possum, deer… basically any of dear Bambi’s friends’ that could be potential roadkill!

Gilroy can be called the unofficial Garlic capital of the world and it pretty much proudly shows that off in this festival that attracts over 100,000 visitors annually. It is estimated that the crowd consumes about two and a half tones of garlic at that event!

According to the Official Gilroy Festival Website, at least 720 tons of garlic has been used in the twenty nine years this festival has existed.

There are cooking demonstrations and lectures that discuss the traditional uses and health benefits but there are also innovative gestures that express the high-mighty love for this pungent food in the Great Garlic Cook-off which has entries like garlic ice-cream, garlic soft drinks!

Waikiki Spam Jam

Where: Waikiki, Hawaii, USA

When: April 25, 2009

Considering it was an area with a scarce meat supply during the WWII period, this archipelago heartily embraced the blue-canned pink meat and has now become Spam’s most loyal market!

During the course of this street festival, Hula dancers perform while judges crown a Mr. and Miss. Spam and Hawaii’s top chefs create new recipes celebrating the gelatinous meat product!

Pedestrians get to sample everything from Spam Burgers to Spam Musubi – a sort of sushi but with spam instead of fish. Also, this festival serves as a philanthropic purpose that benefits the Hawaii food bank, which is the largest Non Profit in Hawaii that feeds the underprivileged.

Ivrea Orange Festival

Where: Ivrea, Italy

When: Last date: February 25-28

La Tomantina has already been mentioned in a previous list but by no means is that the only fruit-throwing festival! The Ivrea Orange Festival originated from the 12th century when during parades and city celebrations, girls would throw oranges from their balconies to gain the attention of the boy they fancied. The boys began to reciprocate (no mention if the secret admiration was reciprocated but the oranges certainly were!) and this evolved into a messy rivalry between the balcony girls and the street boys. It wasn’t until WWII when the intricate citrus battle rules were finally laid out. It is free for anyone to participate by joining one of the nine teams on foot or become a member of the carriage crew.

Carnival at Vilanova i La Geltrú

Candy Throwing Fight

Where: Vilanova i La Geltrú, Spain

When: Fat Tuesday (Mardi gras; next date is February 14, 2010)

What was originally a protest of the Franco Regime’s Canrivale prohibition; it’s now this annual festival which is by far the sweetest food fight in the world – ever!

The celebrations begin on Fat Tuesday with the Meringue Wars where the bakeries open their stores and pass out free pie ammunition to the children. The adults dress in the colors of their respective Carnival Society and attend parties and masquerades before they join the kids in the streets in what veritably turns in to a sweet-tooth-for-all!

It is estimated that over 200,000 Ibs of food has been donated to the food fight and it all ranges from pies to candy to cereal. The festival ends with the ceremonial burial of the sardine to mark the beginning of fasting and Lent.

Olney Pancake Race

Where: Olney, England, UK

When: Pancake Day or Fat Tuesday (next date is February 14, 2010)

At precisely 11:55 am on the Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake day, aka fat Tuesday) local ladies assemble as they are dressed in traditional housewives attires and run 415 yards through the streets of Olney carrying a frying pan!

The pancakes are tossed at the start of the race and it’s a must for the winner to toss her pancake at the finish. This race has been an Olney tradition since the 1445 and in 1950 the competition was expanded to include a friendly flapjack rivalry with the housewives and young women of Liberal, Kansas in the United States.

Annual Yuma Lettuce Days

Where: Yuma, Arizona, USA

When: Last date: January 23-25, 2009

Yuma is pretty well known as ‘The Lettuce Capital of the World’. It may sound a little silly, but given Yuma’s produces $1.5 bn worth of Arizona’s agricultural revenue and provides 90 percent of North America’s winter veggies; it’s quite the appropriate thing to give the lettuce a little respect!

The highlights of the Veggie fair are the Lettuce sculptures, Cabbage bowling, Homegrown Cooking Contest and the ‘World’s largest Salad fair.’